The Holiday Inn Brand Expands in Colombia

Published on : Thursday, February 14, 2013

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group), one of the world’s leading global hotel companies, today announced signings of two new Holiday Inn® hotels in Colombia. The new properties – to be located in the northeast region’s cities of Bucaramanga and Cucuta – will bring IHG’s hotel pipeline in Colombia to 5 hotels.

The Holiday Inn Bucaramanga and The Holiday Inn Cucuta, scheduled to open in 2008 will add 285 rooms to IHG’s existing hotel portfolio in Colombia, which currently includes four open Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express® hotels.

“The Holiday Inn brand family is gaining great traction in South America, particularly in rapidly growing countries like Colombia where we are building a strong presence through expansion in secondary cities,” said Joel Eisemann, chief development officer, the Americas, IHG. “Bucaramanga and Cucuta are the fifth and sixth largest cities in Colombia, and can support new growth products. We are excited to be able to continue to expand our portfolio at a strong pace as we head into 2013.”

The Holiday Inn brand family’s $1BN global brand relaunch, the largest project of its kind in hospitality history, continues to drive increased quality and consistency across the global portfolio. The new hotels will feature a contemporary image with emphasis on arrival and welcome services, guestroom and guest bath comfort and a redesigned logo and signage.

The 187-room Holiday Inn Bucaramanga will be part of a high-end, mixed-use complex—also comprised of the Cacique shopping mall, various restaurants, movie theaters, and a state-of-the-art gym, as well as a 17-story office building.

Boasting a modern design, the 187-room Holiday Inn Bucaramanga will be located in one of the most upscale areas of the city—the capital of the department of Santander. Known as “City of Parks,” Bucaramanga boasts a flourishing economy with a bustling energy and petroleum, manufacturing and agricultural base, making it an important destination for local business travelers. The hotel, owned by MARVAL S.A., is franchised by an affiliate of IHG, and will feature a business center, bar, restaurant, gym, indoor pool, and 11,000 square feet of meeting space.

Situated in the heart of the chief commercial area of Cucuta, the 98-room, 08-story Holiday Inn Cucuta hotel will be located in front of the Ventura Plaza, one of the city’s largest and most prestigious shopping centers. Due to its proximity to the Colombian-Venezuelan border, the industrial city of Cucuta is a key import-export center. The hotel, owned by Grupo Suites S.A., which also owns the Holiday Inn Express Medellin, is franchised by an affiliate of IHG, and will feature a restaurant, business center, meeting rooms, outdoor swimming pool, and fitness facility. It will also have direct access to the city’s main highway, which connects Cucuta to the international airport.

“We are delighted to add these two destinations to our growing list of hotels within Latin America,” said Alvaro Diago, COO, IHG, Latin America and the Caribbean. “We are also pleased to be working with two great partners who are helping us to increase our presence in the country while maintaining our pledge to offer guests the highest quality hotel accommodations and services.”

IHG has 43 Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, and has been serving Latin America for more than 65 years. With hotels situated in nearly every key market throughout the region, IHG has more than 75 hotels in Central and South America and the Caribbean.